Old Town is fitting home for store that will cater to popular ‘grandma hobbies’
A lot of sewing and sewing-related shops have closed in recent years, but now longtime costumer Abby Stroot and her mother, Judy, are bucking that trend and starting a store in a somewhat surprising spot.
Unlike the other stores, which were mostly on the east and west sides of Wichita, they’re opening Patsy Jo’s Sewing Co. at 230 N. Mosley in Old Town.
Judy Stroot said her daughter has a “vintage soul with a modern heartbeat,” which is why they chose Old Town.
The Stroots have learned the history of the almost 100-year-old former Yellow Cab building, which also has been home to a post office and a dry goods store, among other things.
“We’re really trying hard to maintain the integrity of that history,” Judy Stroot said.
“We kind of are leaning into that aesthetic,” Abby Stroot said.
Her father and Judy Stroot’s husband, Jim, is helping in various ways, including building racks for the store, which will have a modern industrial vibe.
“He’s comparing it to: We wanted a puppy, but he’s taking care of it in his mind,” Judy Stroot said.
History is important to Abby Stroot, who is naming the store after her two grandmothers.
“It’s just part of her being,” her mother said.
Abby Stroot graduated from Wichita State University with a theater degree and then went to worked in wardrobe for Sesame Street Live!, or, as her mother put it, “She toured with Big Bird for about a year.”
She’s also worked with Music Theatre Wichita since 2005. She’s maintained that relationship from her current home of Las Vegas, where she’s had various jobs, including working in wardrobe for Cirque du Soleil shows.
“I always tell her I taught her to sew, but she’s the creative one,” Judy Stroot said.
For a time, Abby Stroot had a shop in the Arts District in Las Vegas where she did a mix of things, including costumes for plays, before the pandemic hit.
Then, her mother said, “She went back to being a starving artist.”
Now, Abby Stroot is committed to a show in Las Vegas before she can return to Wichita next month, and then she’s committed to a couple of Music Theatre shows here before she and her mother can open the store in late September.
“Costuming is what I do and what I love,” Abby Stroot said.
Patsy Jo’s will offer the kinds of fabric and patterns that Abby Stroot uses and that she said customers can’t find at places such as Walmart or Hobby Lobby.
Abby Stroot said she’ll lean more toward garment fabrics, but there will be quilting fabrics as well. There also will be some crafting supplies.
Judy Stroot said they’re going for more customized, higher-end merchandise.
There will be a variety of classes as well, such as machine basics, applique and suiting work and kids’ classes, too.
There are a couple of Las Vegas stores Abby Stroot said she wants to model Patsy Jo’s after that have the kind of atmosphere where creators can visit with each other and troubleshoot issues.
“I want to be a landing base,” Abby Stroot said. “I love to talk to people about their projects.”
She and her mother did a lot of research into why so many similar shops have closed, including former national retailer Joann Fabrics and Crafts Stores, which she said left a big hole in the market.
“What would you have done differently?” is a big question they’ve asked others.
Abby Stroot said she hopes Patsy Jo’s will inspire people.
“There’s been a big shift in the world back to sewing and what people call the grandma hobbies.”
She said making clothing and other items can be more satisfying and more individualized than buying them.
The Stroots said Ryan Dugan of InSite Real Estate Group understood the concept they’re going for and helped them find a fitting Old Town spot.
Christi Royse and Whitney Vliet Ward of J.P. Weigand & Sons represented the landlord in the deal.
Look for more information and a video tour of what Patsy Jo’s will have closer to the store opening.
Though there’s a bit of a wait, Abby Stroot is eager to start seeing shoppers.
“I love seeing people get excited about making stuff.”